Hope and Despair
by PauPau no Koe
Summary: A collection of short stories about Hope protecting the lovers of the mortal world from the cruel grip of Despair. The first story is a Spamano three-shot about Lovino discovering his feelings for Antonio through frustration, tragedy, and two cloth dolls wrapped in a bundle of red string. Other pairings are soon to come as well! (T for language)
1. Chapter 1: Antonio and Lovino 1

**Author's Note: Herro *u* I started off thinking of a concept for this story when I wanted to make a Spamano one-shot(Because you can neva have enough Spamano. ovo) But it looks like this will be a two-parter. xD**

**Furthermore, if anyone likes it, I can continue it like a collection of stories, as different ships with the same common theme. (This whole doll-red-string-of-fate-Hope-Despair-business) (I actually don't really dislike any ships so I'm pretty much okay with anything xD)**

**Please review/favorite if you like it! I'd really appreciate that. Even if you have difficulty expressing yourself in English. You should hear me speak Italian/German/Spanish. I totally empathize. 8'D Anyway, enjoyyyyy~!**

* * *

"Diez, nueve, ocho..."

Antonio unwrapped his package of grapes. Lovino's scowl deepened. _This wine is too bitter._

"Siete, seis, cinco...get ready, Lovi!"

The Spaniard lined up the twelve grapes, and Lovino observed them with contempt. White and seedless. _The wine would be sweeter if the bastard used those kinds of grapes for it instead of whatever the hell he's doing now with them._

His eyes flicked back to the TV, where the countdown was commencing. The countdown to a New Year.

_Damn, last year's harvest was rough...I'm worried..._

"Cuatro, tres, dos...uno!"

There it was; officially January first. Suddenly, the TV started to chime. With each chime, Antonio downed a grape. Lovino looked at him quizzically.

"Is this a new diet fad people are doing this year?" he frowned at the grape-eating man, who finished the twelfth one on the final chime. Lovi was met with joyful emerald eyes, blinking at him innocently.

"What? It's just a tradition my people do on New Year's," Antonio shrugged casually, personally pleased he managed to swallow each grape in time for the chimes. "I ate the grapes fast enough, so I'll have a prosperous year! At least, that's how the tradition's supposed to go."

Not caring much for Spanish traditions, the Italian boy merely pouted in another direction. "Stupido. Eating grapes isn't going to sprout the tomatoes."

A rich chuckle floated through the air in response to this. Lovino felt a firm hand on his shoulder, and jumped in both surprise and embarrassment. He glared daggers at Toni, but nothing could break through his indestructible smile.

"Lighten up, Lovi! Aren't you wishing for a good year too? I know I am!"

"..." Trying to lessen the burning redness in his cheeks, Lovi ceased eye contact with the awfully-physical Spaniard, and instead let his gaze drift to the floor. In all honesty, he did hope for a prosperous year as well. But he wasn't going to admit he was wishing for that kind of thing, and he certainly wasn't going to start gulping down grapes for it.

"It's late, Lovi. Let's head to bed." Noticing the embarrassment in the boy's hazel eyes, Antonio let go and got up from his seat, switching the TV off. Lovino puffed his cheeks out and sighed sharply. It wasn't _that _late.

"Whatever."

* * *

The next morning, an irritated Lovino woke to the sensation of careless sunlight seeping through the window blinds. But this sunlight felt strange to him- it felt...cold. He reluctantly opened his eyes as fuzzy laughter and sounds of excitement slowly drifted into his hearing. He groaned, recognizing the voice all too well, and remembering where he was.

He threw off the covers and shuffled out to the living room area, where the laughter became clearer. He followed the noise towards the door to the backyard, where he finally saw what all the fuss was about.

"Lovi, hombre! Look at this!"

Antonio was rolling around in a thick blanket of snow. He threw it in the air and sank his bare skin in it, exposed by his pajama T-shirt. He hadn't even taken the time to put on a coat or gloves.

"Idiota." Lovino mumbled, and stared at the blindingly white landscape in dismay. It was still snowing, and quite heavily. There was no way the sliver of sunlight slipping through the clouds was going to affect this thick of a sheet at all.

_It looks like the winter might be extra long this year... That means it'll probably cut into tomato season. Dammit..._

"It's a miracle, amigo! Un milagro! This is going to be a marvelous year, I just know it!"

Lovino huffed at the overjoyed fool, but opted to make his way towards him anyway. He slipped on some shoes and headed out into the chilly Wonderland.

Unfortunately, this Wonderland was hiding some darkness- or, rather, some ice on the ground.

The Italian felt his control slip from under his feet as he immediately tumbled to the ice-covered concrete concealed in snow below him. He let out a startled yelp, which instantly perked Toni's ears, and he sat up from his place in the deceiving powder.

"Lovi?" he leapt up and practically flew to his disgruntled friend, reaching out a concerned hand. "Are you alright?"

His face was painted with worry, but as soon as Lovi saw this, he felt frustration and anger boil over inside him. How many times had he seen that face at the most unnecessary of moments? Too many times to count. Each annoying memory added fuel to his fuse, and he promptly smacked Toni's hand away from his face, much to the man's shock.

"Do you think I'm useless?!" he snapped, glaring up at the man indignantly with glistening eyes. "Why do you always act like I can't do anything myself?!"

Time seemed to stand still as a moment of pained and confused silence drifted through the air, before Lovino fiercely bit his lip and hurried away. He was still skidding on the ice as he fled.

"Lovino?" Antonio straightened up and called out to him, even more concerned than before. And suddenly, he was left alone in the pure white yard. "...?"

* * *

Stupid. Stupid. Such things as playing in the snow were all just stupid. _Only an idiota like him would want to do something like that._

"Ve~ Ve~!"

As Lovino walked down the snow-stained streets, a familiar voice neared him more and more. As he approached his house, it became evident it was none other than his brother, Feliciano, attempting to make snow angels in the middle of the road.

_...Well, I guess he's not the only idiota._

"Fratello, get up. You're gonna get run over." Lovi grumbled nonchalantly to his brother as he passed him to head into their house, as if such a scenario had occurred before.

"Ah-! Lovino? You're home! Ehh? You've been playing in the snow in your PJ's too?" Feli hopped up and followed his dearest brother into the house. Lovino merely grimaced and kicked off his shoes.

"No. Twerp."

The fact that Lovi wasn't rambling his mouth off about how annoying something was alarmed Feli. "Fratello, what's the matter? Ohh-! You haven't had breakfast yet, have you? I'll make it for you!"

The bubbly Italian jolted off to the kitchen, leaving his scowling brother in the entrance room. "I still have some pasta left, and all kinds of stuff!" his cheerful voice echoed through the halls.

Lovino let his eyes scan the decorated walls as he made his way to the kitchen. Every inch of every wall was adorned with some magnificent painting- all painted by his brother. His eyes narrowed, and then lowered, until finally he decided it was better for his spirits if he just stared at the floor instead.

As he approached the kitchen, he was met by the aroma of cooking pasta and chopped vegetables. Everything that was being prepared had the look and scent of simple deliciousness. As Feli cooked, he sang aloud to one of his favorite songs about the world coming together and holding hands in a big circle. Lovino couldn't help but notice his voice was light and sweet. Almost angelic. _Or is it past "almost?"..._

A short while later, the food was on the table. "Eat up, Lovino!" Feli smiled a child-like smile before digging in himself. Lovino took a bite- the Italian cuisine instantly melted in his mouth perfectly.

"..."

Perfectly.

"Feliciano."

"Sì-?"

"You painted all these paintings hung all over the walls, didn't you?"

"Sì-."

"And you cooked all this food in front of us, didn't you?"

"Fratello, you saw me cook i-"

"And you sang all those pretty songs that make people smile. ...Didn't you?"

"Loviiii, are you alright...?"

"..." The Southern Italian's gaze fell to his beautifully-filled plate of food for a minute more. Finally, he felt his lip quiver, and stopped fighting the urge to leave. He abruptly stood up from the table and took in a shallow breath.

"You can finish my plate, Feli. I need to run."

He briskly walked over to his shoes and jammed them on- this time making sure to grab a coat from the nearby coat rack- and vanished out the door, leaving behind his confused brother and perfectly good banquet.

* * *

The snowfall had finally lightened by the time he reached the empty park.

Lovino sensed the silent echoes of children's laughter ring throughout the vacant area, haunting it. Where had the children gone? Was it just too cold and too early to play here at this hour?

...For some reason, the emptiness saddened him. In such a place, the snow was not meant to be observed alone.

He breathed a frosty sigh, showing his displeasure to no one, and brushed the snow off of the seat of an inviting blue swing set. He sat down and rocked gently, tilting his head up to the cool grey sky.

_This sucks...without kids playing here, this whole place is useless._

He squinted at the stiff, silver clouds, crawling frigidly through the heavens above him.

_...It's fitting for me to be here, then._

Another worthless sigh. But this time, perhaps it wasn't so devoid of value.

"It feels lonely here, doesn't it?"

His drooping eyelids snapped open, and he jolted his head towards the unfamiliar voice. Someone was there with him?! But for how long? He hadn't heard any footsteps...!

But alas, a woman stood before him in the mesmerizing snow, somehow almost...shimmering, like the pale ground itself, basking in the narrow sunlight.

It was as if his eyes had to adjust to seeing an entity like her, very much like when the pupils adjust to the forgotten abnormality of darkness each night. Golden hair framed wise eyes and a soft smile, flowing down her shoulders and back in a comforting way, like resting wings. Her radiant skin appeared to not be affected by the harsh winter winds that occasionally assaulted the air.

"A place such as this shouldn't be empty, don't you think?" - Her voice was nothing but a constant wave of reassurance. She appeared out of place, but at the same time like a presence that was necessary to be there in order for the scene to be itself. She was like both the sun and the sun-tinted snow, coexisting in a single being. And yet...as a person...?

"Un angelo...?"

She giggled, filling up the previously-sad air with her cheerfulness. "Whatever you want to call me. I am Hope."

"Hope...?"

She approached the man, her smile turning empathetic. "You've been having a rough time recently, haven't you?"

He refused to reply, averting his eyes in needless denial. But she continued to walk towards him, shaking her head.

"It's not your fault. Despair is bullying you. He's a jerk, you see."

Lovino couldn't help but look back at the woman, 'Hope,' in puzzlement. Despair was...bullying him...?

She finally stopped walking, standing directly in front of him. Her crystal-like eyes darkened ever-so slightly.

"...He's planning on hurting you awfully. But I...won't let him. And you can do something about it."

His confusion didn't cease when she handed him the strange objects- two plain cloth dolls bundled up in a tangled mess of red string.

He hesitantly took hold of them and inspected them. He couldn't find the meaning in possessing them if he tried. "Lady, what is this...?"

"It's your contract to me. Pre-signed, of course." Her encouraging smile widened. "It represents you, and the one you truly love."

The sudden use of such words caused Lovi's face to blush pink, but she continued.

"You aren't really thinking about who on this Earth you truly love at this point in time, are you? That's alright. Whenever you're ready, right names on the dolls- your name on one, the name of who you decided is your true love on the other. And when you feel that Despair might be working his ways to tear you and that person apart, unravel the tangled-up red string. That will be a sign to me that your love is true, and I will make sure nothing harms it in any way I can. That's my promise with this contract."

"Erhm, lady..." All this 'love' talk seemed absurd to him, and he was starting to get frustrated by its unexpected existence as the topic at hand. But one thing stuck out to him especially bizarre.

"Contracts usually have a price in them, when they're something crazy like this," he spoke up at last, "I'm not too sure I can really confide in a 'contract' like this, but what is the price I'd have to pay for this kind of...protection, anyway?"

To this, the angelic blonde grinned playfully. "The price is...admitting you're in love!"

Lovino gawked at her, and was about to retort something back, but was interrupted by the calling of his name in the distance. He turned to look at where the voice was coming from, and doing so, he spotted a rapidly approaching Spaniard waving towards him in immense relief of having discovered his whereabouts.

"Ah, sorry lady, that's-" he turned back to speak with her once more, but was speechless to find that no one was standing around him at all.

"Lovino!" Antonio beamed through his out-of-breath panting, "I'm so glad I found you! I was looking everywhere for you..."

"Everywhere? For me?" Lovino was genuinely surprised. He had unconsciously expected Toni to remain rolling around in the snow, waiting for his little Italian to grudgingly stomp back to his home after getting too cold and lonely. He actually went out of his way to search for him...?

"Of course, mi amigo! It freaked me out for you to just run away like that. What do you think I would have done if you never came back?"

"..."

Finally catching his breath, Antonio placed both hands on his hips and looked out at the clear, sterling sky.

"Ahh, the sky looks so beautiful from here. You picked a nice spot to view it, Lovi."

Lovino raised his eyebrows contemptuously at the man's implications that he had purposely run away to this place to view the sky.

Toni's eyes shot down from the sky above him to the ground below him. "Ah, and the sun is shining perfectly on the snow as well! This is the best place, amigo, good job! May I have a seat here?"

He brushed off the snow of the swing set seat beside Lovi and sat down before he could be rejected, which only heightened Lovi's annoyance. The irritated boy let his hazel eyes lower to view the footprint-ridden snow in front of his feet.

"What are you even saying..." he muttered through a drawn-out sigh, "This place isn't the best, it's the worst. It was meant for children to play in it, to laugh and have fun in it, and it can't even accomplish that. Instead, it's drowning in icy snow, alone and devoid of kids. It's worthless here."

He kicked at the dirtied frost below him, rocking slightly in his swing. "This snow that's suffocating it is worthless too. At least it would be nice if kids were playing in it, but it's not being used by anyone. Just walked on, like any other kind of ground covering. It holds no value whatsoever. No value..."

His solemn words were allowed to echo through the crisp air without any response for a while- such a long while, that he looked over to Toni, somewhat nervously. Did he break him...? That would be bad...

Antonio blinked at him for a moment more, staring at him with a blank expression, before moving his body at last. He raised his hands up to either side of his face, and focused on the puzzled Lovino intently. Finally, he spoke:

"Fusosososososososososososososososososososo~!"

_That weird noise again... _Lovi couldn't help but break into a still-slightly-confused smirk and small laugh. "What the hell are you doing, ya bastard?"

At that signal, the 'bastard' stopped and grinned softly at him. "See, now this place is not worthless."

Lovino's eyes widened, and he stared at Antonio with a mixture of shock and confusion. _What...?_

Antonio's smile seemed to melt into a somewhat melancholy expression as he left Lovi's gaze to scan the rest of the park attentively.

"This place was made for people to smile in, and enjoy themselves in. So long as we are doing that, this place is not worthless."

His companion gaped at him, though he wasn't able to pinpoint what exactly had surprised him. The Spaniard went on, his jade-like eyes falling to the snow, in the exact same footprint-trodden place Lovino was just viewing.

"This snow...so long as the both of us are here, this snow is not worthless either."

His eyes slowly rose to look across the magnificent expanse ahead of them. Lovino did the same.

"The snow's not meant to be observed alone, after all."

He turned to beam at his dearest friend. Lovino froze, unable to imagine anything worth uttering at this point in time. His eyes slowly met Antonio's, but he wasn't processing what he was looking at anymore. He was simply feeling for Toni's hushed voice. _Antonio...?_

"That's why I'm here."

_..._

And the two just let those words settle in the chilled winter air for a while longer, watching the sky and snow, and applying worth to everything their vision touched.

* * *

**Author's note: Welp, that looked like a good place to end the first chapter. xD The next part will be pretty intense...if I portray it correctly. *u***

**Remember to review and all that if you liked it. Really motivates me. xD**

**Thanks so much for reading!**


	2. Chapter 2: Antonio and Lovino 2

**Author's note: Ohai. I don't know how to make things short and sweet. So I know I was originally going to make this a one-shot, and then said it will be a two-parter instead...**

**Nope. It's going to be a three-parter. xD**

**Probably no more than that though. At least as far as the Spamano story goes. Again, if people want me to write similar stories involving these dolls and whatnot with other ships, lemme know. .w./**

**So here's the second part. Enjoy!**

* * *

After spending that time observing the snow sprinkle from the silver sky, the pair finally returned home. The air around them was already darkening, illuminating the pale white ground in the milky moonlight. Antonio was especially conscious of the dark walking home- Lovino was conscious of the close, protective proximity Toni walked beside him in.

Eventually they made it to his abode though, and finally tucked themselves into bed. Antonio actually fell asleep faster than Lovi for once- the Italian's mind was racing too fast with confused thoughts about today's events. He held the two bundled-up dolls in his hand, inspecting their simple fabric in the moonlight falling through the blinds. There was nothing particularly special about them, except for the red strings. He sighed and closed his eyes, attempting to venture to dreamworld, hopefully one filled with tomatoes. ...

* * *

Any tomato-full dreams of his were rudely interrupted, though, by the shrieking of the bitter winds outside.

They lashed at the window menacingly, and Lovino's eyes almost immediately flew open. He sat up hurriedly, Toni following suit, blinking at him with a mix of puzzlement and grogginess.

"The wind's loud," Lovi tried to squeak out, but the gusts of air snapped back at him, as if retorting angrily. He clamped his mouth shut, clenching his teeth and hands. He never realized how close he slept to the window...

Antonio crawled over him to open up the blinds and peer out at what he hoped would just be a windy, white landscape. But it was just as he feared- snow was mixing with the frenzied air, morphing into a blizzard so dense and violent that he couldn't even see a meter out his window. _Yikes..._

His eyes flicked to the alarm clock as he prayed that it was still night and they could try to get back to bed and sleep through it to awake to a peaceful morning. Much to his surprise- and dismay- however, the alarm clock read nothing. It was dead and dark.

Filling with dread, he attempted to switch on a nearby lamp. Nothing. They had lost power.

"Maldita sea...!" he cursed under his breath in his native tongue, which caused Lovino to realize what had happened. The storm screamed at them once more, and Antonio couldn't help but notice his companion jump at the sudden noise. Furthermore, the heat in the house had vanished with the electricity. Lovino was visibly shivering, curling up tighter in his wad of blankets.

_Dammit, dammit, dammit all to hell! _the Italian growled in his head, _there's nothing to get so jumpy over! It's just wind! Stupid wind! Stupid, stupid-_

_SHRIIIIIIIEK-_

_!_

He finally opted to squeeze his eyes shut, trying his absolute hardest to envision that nothing but the most beautiful tomatoes existed outside that window. Antonio noticed this. He could even tell what Lovi was trying to imagine- there was something about his expression that read, 'tomatoes.' And also the fact that he was singing "Buono tomato, buono tomato, buono buono oo tomato..." quietly under his breath.

The Spaniard paused while looking at his friend for a moment, before rising and turning to face the bedroom door. Lovi could feel his presence depart from him, and opened his eyes to look up at him curiously. He received a gentle smile in return.

"Come on. I'm going to light the fireplace."

. . .

Lovino laid his blankets down on the floor in front of the fireplace to sit in, having been wincing from the freezing touch of the floor tiles beneath his feet. The crimson flames Antonio had lit swirled and flickered comfortingly. Lovi's heartbeat was finally settling.

Toni had left to the kitchen for a minute, and returned with two mugs. He was met with bright, quizzical eyes, blinking at him with inquiry.

"Good ol' fire-heated hot cocoa, amigo." He replied to those eyes with a cheery grin. Lovino pouted, but only for the sake of not revealing he was pretty pleased with this idea.

. . .

"Looks like we won't be venturing outside for a while," Antonio remarked as he sipped his cocoa, peering at the endless flurries outside his living room window. Lovino scoffed.

"Whatever. I wasn't planning on doing much anyway. I just hope my stupid brother doesn't decide to play in the snow today, and get hit by incoming debris or something." He closed his eyes and gulped at his cocoa in a haughty fashion, causing Toni to chuckle adoringly. Lovino felt his laughter and opened one eye to glower at him in a slightly confused fashion.

"What are you laughing at, ya Spanish bastard?" He was about to spout some more insults, but there was something in Antonio's smile that caught him off guard. What was it...? Was it softer than usual, perhaps...? Or maybe something else...

"...?" _Why is he looking at me like that..._

The smile lasted a peculiar amount of time to him.

"If you drink it down too fast, I'll have less time to enjoy drinking cocoa with you."

Toni beamed playfully. Lovino huffed and looked away to futilely hide the growing scarlet-hued blush burning his face.

"I-Idiota..."

. . .

The day pressed on, as did the storm. It didn't even seem to wane, unlike the dying flames clinging to life within the fireplace- the blizzard seemed to just be in a constant state of viciousness, howling ominously in the background at any given time.

"I'll probably need to restart the fire soon," Antonio noted, examining the remnants of the blaze with calm eyes. Lovino silently agreed, unable to formulate words through his chattering teeth and dreary state. It wasn't too bad, though. Next to Toni, somehow, he felt warmer. He inched the smallest fraction closer to him, praying that it would go unnoticed.

_But why can't this stupid storm just go away?_

The howling outside rose in volume, as if to say, "I heard that." It chilled Lovino's very being. He felt a shudder run up his spine and shut his eyes, bringing his knees closer to his chest and tugging the blanket closer to his chin. He was scared of the snowstorm, on an unconscious level. It was Mother Nature waking up on the wrong side of the bed. It could harm him and his friends, his family, everyone he cared about, and he could not do a thing to stand up against something so much greater than a single person. He was powerless against it.

_As usual..._

He bit his lip and began to tremble, but this only frustrated him more. He was so weak, he couldn't even control his bodily reactions to what he feared. At least feigning strength would have made him a bit less pitiful.

And worst of all, Antonio took notice. He felt the man's shining green eyes peer at his cowardly figure, huddled helplessly in a heap of blankets. What was he going to say? A million of annoying ideas raced through Lovino's mind.

_"You're scared of the storm, aren't you? Jajaja!"_

_"Whatcha shivering for, amigo? Need another blanket?"_

_"There's nothing to be scared of, you silly tomato! It's just a storm!"_

Annoying. Annoying. Annoying. Lovino squeezed his eyes tighter closed and braced himself for whatever stupid comment would come out of the bastard's mouth.

He was shocked, to say the least, when he received no words at all.

Instead, a single gesture- assuaging arms gathering him up in their warmth. He breathed in sharply, feeling his heart refuse to function for an endless instant.

Antonio embraced him, resting his chin on Lovi's head, and Lovi's forehead against his collar bone. The two were wrapped up together in all of the blankets. They remained like that for a while, until Lovino's startled breaths finally slowed in sync with Antonio's steady ones.

"S-Stupido, I-I'm not scared!" the befuddled Italian hissed without moving, "I'm just colder than hell, b-because some bastard decided to not relight the fireplace yet!"

The uncertainty in his shaky voice was evident, and he cursed himself silently. The smallest of smiles graced Antonio's lips from this, but the emotion within it wasn't quite describable.

"I know. I know."

He murmured into the deep brown hair, before kissing tenderly the head he cradled against him.

...

Lovino's heartbeat halted, and then skyrocketed, along with the jumbled up garble flooding his restless mind. But he did not move, and he did not speak.

Because when Antonio did this, his statement became true. He was not scared anymore.

. . .

Eventually, the storm calmed. The constant assault of icicle-spears in the wind decreased to a drizzling of fluffy snowflakes dancing in the breeze.

Lovino felt gradually heavier in Antonio's arms as night rolled in. He felt his eyelids try to fall, but he resisted again and again.

"The fire's practically dead, idiota," he finally mumbled, "Relight it already."

Toni laughed lightly and ruffled his hair a bit before letting go. "Fine, fine, whatever you say, hombre."

He got up and began assembling the utilities to spark a flame in the fireplace again. Lovino watched him for a moment before sighing to himself.

_Maybe it isn't so bad to be cared for..._

He looked down at the two strange dolls he had kept hidden underneath his share of the blankets.

Does it mean that he is useless, to be cared for?

_I don't think so..._

He glanced up again at the Spanish man messing with the burnt wood in front of them.

...

Quietly, he let his hand search for a nearby pen, and began writing their names on the white fabric of the dolls.

Not quiet enough, it seems, though- right as he finished writing the names, Toni turned around and blinked at him with curiosity.

"What's that?" He approached to inspect the strange items, but this only caused Lovino to back away slightly and shove the dolls behind his back.

"Nothing, bastardo," he responded harshly as per usual, but his normal pout dissolved into a look of perplexity at the Spaniard's mischievous smirk. _What's he thinking now...?_

Suddenly, Antonio brought his face perilously close to Lovi's. The bewildered Italian backed up more and squeaked as he realized he was pinned against a wall. Toni leaned in close to him, raising his arms up to either side and placing his hands firmly on the wall, to prevent escape.

"T-Toni, what are y-?!"

"Tell me, Lovino." He lifted a hand to point towards the mysterious objects Lovi was hiding. "What is it? Hm?"

Lovi's eyes widened in both shock and fear. Antonio was so close, he could feel the heat of his breaths caress his shivering lips. If he got any closer...

But he was getting closer, every moment. And every moment he grew nearer, Lovino's heart seemed to wheeze painfully, struggling more and more to beat properly. He slid down the wall slightly, gritting his teeth, as Toni placed a warm hand on his cheek.

"You never tell me anything, you know." His eyes, painted with alarming solemnity, narrowed as he placed his thumb on Lovi's chin and lifted it. "Why is that, hm? Why is that, Lovino?"

Lovino felt like he was melting into lava- so much so, that a brief moment passed in his incoherent stream of thoughts, in which he hoped Toni would let go, or else he'd singe his hands.

...And, at their current proximity, his lips.

This single thought terrified Lovino even more than any snowstorm ever could. He choked out a sob, apprising Antonio that something was wrong, who lifted his face away from Lovi's to find out what the problem was.

At this moment, Lovi found the opportunity to flee, which was all he was thinking of doing now. He shoved Antonio away from him with shaky hands and bolted out the door with nothing but a blanket and the mysterious dolls.

"Lovi?!" Antonio immediately got up and tried to follow him out the door, but he had sprinted headfirst into the darkness of the night, out of view by the time Toni reached the entrance way. He called out Lovino's name once more before growling in frustration and planting a fist on the door. Who knew of the dangers that could exist out there, cloaked in the heavy dark of midnight and obscured by the heavy light of snowfall?

The distraught Spaniard began searching haphazardly for a flashlight, ending up with nothing but fruitless efforts. As he stumbled through his dark house, a few lights suddenly came to life, along with the humming of ventilation and a few household appliances. His eyes lit up with them- electricity was back!

Locating the remote, he switched on the television before returning to his hunt for a torch. He wanted to watch the news for any info on what Lovi could possibly be getting into out there. But this only threw him into even more of a panic- it seemed like everything being reported was nothing but disaster, crime, and warnings to stay inside. Finally, he gave up on the flashlight and headed to the front door, throwing on shoes and a coat. He had to find Lovino.

The TV chimed on behind him: _. . . A group of armed individuals on the loose, who have already shot and killed a sixteen-year-old. . ._

...

Perhaps it would be best if he brought...that item as well.

...

He left the house, clutching tightly to a certain concealed object, moving fast through the thick snow and frigid air.

* * *

**Author's note: Oooo, mystery. *u* Yeah, this is why I needed to break it into three parts. There's still quite a bit to go that I don't want to jam into one chapter.**

**Please remember to write a review to let me know if you liked it! I would gladly appreciate it! Gracías y grazie mille! 8D**


	3. Chapter 3: Antonio and Lovino 3 - Final

**...Yo. ovo**

**Sorry I've been gone for like everr. I started writing this chapter in February I think, but then my computer crashed and I lost everything. So I ragequit and didn't come back to it till now. May. xD**

**I feel like I like this beginning better though. And anyway, this story is finished! I can go on with other pairings, but this Spamano story is all done with this chapter. Thank you for reading through this three-shot! This chapter is where all the action goes down. ~v~**

**This chapter's only a couple hundred words longer than the last two, but I feel like it took twice as long to write. So please enjoy it. TAT**

**And review, por favor! Thank you and have fun with your Spamano lalalalalaa~**

_Warning: Vulgar language in multiple languages in this chapter. .v._

* * *

It was true that the blizzard ceased its raging, but the cold air did not cease its biting at Lovino's skin. While no longer strong enough to throw debris, the winds were still harsh, and lashed at the poor Italian cruelly, as if taunting him for only being clad in some thin pajamas and a single blanket. His feet sank into the snow frigidly, soaking in the numbing ice.

He hoped that he would reach his home soon, lest he get frostbite…

All he could think about was his brother's warm, stupid smile and equally as warm household. He hoped he would be alright, in such a scary snowstorm… he probably lost power as well…

He could just imagine Feli's fright, his shivering under blankets alone in a pitch-black room with no one to hold him and make him realize that everything was alright…

Feliciano's terrified beliefs that everything was NOT alright, and the endless stream of worries flooding his mind… Lovino needed to vanquish these thoughts. He needed to be there for his brother.

...But no, maybe 'need' wasn't the right word. Feli probably already had someone like Ludwig barreling through the house to find him and make sure he was alright already. He probably didn't even need Lovi...but he felt compelled to go make sure anyway.

_Or is that all just an excuse…?_

As much as he did care for his brother, perhaps it isn't true that that was all he could think about.

The stupid Spaniard crossed his mind as well. Occasionally.

…

Maybe a bit more than occasionally.

The pain in his chest was now just a dull ache, but still resonated inside him. Although it lessened in its intensity, none of the other pains that were attacking his body right now compared to the one squeezing his heart. He barely even noticed the cold at this point.

_What the hell did that bastardo think he was doing…_

He didn't want to think about it too much. It would surely just hurt.

But why did it hurt…?

...He didn't want to think about that either. The question would bring up reruns of the scene, the sensation of Antonio's breath against his skin, the warmth of his hand against his cheek, the perplexing lowness of his voice ringing through Lovino's ears…

And it would all confuse him again, just like it did when it happened. He would be confused by what it all meant, if it all meant anything, how he felt about it all…

And that's where the pain existed. That's why it hurt. The confusion.

Still confused, he just thought it would be better if he didn't think of it at all. And so, he focused on the inky darkness ahead of him, penetrated by the fuzzy light of the streetlamps, and the distant windows of some houses.

_Wait, the windows are lit up…? Looks like the power is back for some people…_

That's good. Feli lives in that area of town. Looks like he would have his power back too. Lovino could just imagine his brother singing with joy at the functioning light bulbs, hot tears rolling down his cheeks. That would certainly be a lovely sight.

_I think I'm halfway there...Halfway home...Wait for me, Feli…_

It's unfortunate, however, that it would seem Feliciano would have to wait a bit longer than expected for his dear brother to return home.

To his side, barely within earshot (which is still in close proximity to him due to the howling of the winds drowning out all noise within a couple yards of him), Lovi heard the sound of approaching footsteps. Multiple sets. Paired with these footsteps were the rough, unfamiliar snickering of someone nearby, coming towards Lovino.

He froze in place looking towards the sounds, alarmed. _Who the hell is that? I thought I was alone here…_

Lovino scowled into the darkness, but his jaw chattered too much from the cold to look intimidating. Soon, the closeness of the voices were making him uncomfortable.

"Who's ther-" he tried to shout, but the sharpness of the air pierced his throat and made him cough before even finishing the last word.

Suddenly, his breath was forced into silence when the voices appeared right next to his ear.

"How about you don't worry about it, kid."

A growl as harsh as the wind surrounding them. The words themselves seemed to be smirking bitterly. Hot, hostile breaths trickled down Lovino's neck, and almost immediately processing these words in his mind, he felt the power of two strong hands shove him a few feet forward, straight into an equally-as-strong shoulder blade.

Lovino squeaked and attempted to scramble to his feet to run away, but he felt hands grab at him once again and shake him a bit.

"You don't got a chance against us, kid," another voice practically spit at his face, "Just hand us your wallet and get the hell out of here."

"I-I don't have it on m-" Lovino tried to whimper out the truth in a trembling voice, but was cut short by the sensation of being lifted off the ground. The thug threw him in the air once again- this time, he landed inside a nearby alleyway the attackers must have been camping out in all this time. The short, brick-and-cement walkway was soaked in darkness, dotted with dumpsters, and ended on the other side with a wire fence that was too tall for Lovi to have any chance jumping over. He never felt so fucked in his entire life.

Heart racing, yet heavy with dread and terror, the Italian scurried to free himself from a faceful of snow and twisted around to face the rapidly-approaching criminals. His legs felt like jello, and would not allow him to stand, so he merely backed away from them using his feet.

"C'mon, a prissy little brat like you, walking around in the dark like this? We know you got something. Hand it the fuck over."

Why won't they believe him? He could not have looked very wealthy at that point in time. Was it too dark to see his pajamas? Did his blanket look like a shawl? Thank goodness he was covering his small dolls with the blanket- they would probably assume they were a wallet…

"R-Really, I have nothing but my pajamas and this blanket. Just leave m-me be, and I'll tell no one. Please." Such polite language settled against Lovino's tongue bitterly, and he clenched his teeth. He wanted nothing more than to curse these thugs to Hell and back, but he knew that would cause nothing but trouble and danger for him at this point in time.

"Bullshit," one of the now-more-visible four goons retorted with an impatient glare. Lovi's eyes nearly bulged out of his skull, and his heart almost stopped functioning entirely, when he saw the glimmer of a gun being pulled out of the man's coat pocket.

"We know you got something under that blanket. Give it to us."

Lovino hiccuped, and felt stinging tears well up in his eyes. He backed up and stood against a brick wall, but the mobsters simply faced him from the other wall, pointing the gun straight at his face. He began imagining how much better this situation would have gone if he was stronger. He clearly couldn't handle anything by himself, after all. He really was very clearly useless. And here, he would have to meet the end to his short life because of it.

He cursed his uselessness, but even more so cursed that he never did anything to fix his uselessness- he simply denied it, over and over again. At least his brother accepted his weak stature and swore by staying by Ludwig practically at all times of possible danger. At least his brother had Ludwig to protect him. All Lovino had was…

"You're fucking wearing my patience down, boy, now give me the damn wallet or I'll shoot!"

The tears were running down the poor Italian's eyes at this point. He had nothing. Nothing. He was alone, now. He would die alone, in the cold, brutal darkness, useless till the very end. Useless.

_Useless._

The word echoed in his mind, again and again, until it filled his thoughts and drowned out all other voices in his head. It filled his head to the brim more and more, until it finally overflowed and spilled out of his mouth.

"Useless," he whispered to the snow-covered ground dissolving his tears. The tears that fell from his darkened eyes. He had succumbed to his fate. Despair smirked at him with satisfaction.

"What the fuck did you just say to me?! Die, you little bitch!"

The thug fired the gun. The bullet shattered the air, and Lovino shut his eyes in anticipation of the quick, skull-cracking pain. Nothing happened.

Instead, he heard a choked gasp come from the attacker, and opened his eyes to see what happened.

He could see nothing, because Antonio's broad shoulders were blocking his view.

Lovino gasped as well, but not out of pain, unlike the thug- he gasped in a wave of relief and shock. Steadily, the realization kicked in:

Antonio jumped in front of the bullet for him.

Antonio got shot for him.

Antonio got shot.

"Antonio!" he peered over his shoulder to see if he was alright. The Spaniard's brows were knotted in obvious anguish from the gunshot wound, but he bared his gritted teeth in a defiant smirk as he glared intently at the man in front of him. The gun wielding man was slightly bent over and gasping for air, and Lovino could finally see why- Toni had brought his cherished, antique weapon passed down his family line for centuries- the espada ropera.

The espada ropera was a common civilian sword in 15th century Spain. It was a long, thin sword that made clean, effective cuts. Antonio had stabbed the sword right into the thug's ribs, dealing immense pain. But this criminal had dealt with numerous gunshots before. This wasn't going to phase him.

The hoodlum shot the Spaniard a shaky smirk and fumbled for the trigger on his gun, raising it to his opponent's chest. "You never bring a knife to a gun fi-"

Alas, he lost the will to finish when Antonio smiled gently at him before swiftly sliding the sword out of his flesh and slicing his gun-wielding hand off in one smooth, effortless motion. The man's entire face dropped along with his hand, and he his accomplices froze in horror as the pale appendage plopped to the ground at Toni's feet, turning the snow crimson in mere seconds. It still held the gun limply, finger positioned on the trigger in an eerie fashion.

"You don't know what this sword has been through, amigo."

Toni continued smiling as the thug began trembling, reaching towards the bloody stub at the end of his right arm with his other hand.

Lovino also gawked in shock. He had never seen Antonio hurt a fly, let alone another human being. But he was doing this…

_For me…?_

"YOU MOTHERFUCKER!"

Another goon screamed and charged at Antonio, prompting him to prepare himself. "Stay back, Lovi," he instructed his friend before dodging the attacker's fists and replying with a flurry of slashes and stabs from his own weapon of choice. The man collapsed to the ground with a fully-diced-up torso at just the right time for the right-hand-less man to rebound and swing at Antonio with his other fist. The swordsman glided out of the way with ease before chopping him to pieces as well. The two thugs fell in a bloody heap on the ground together, wheezing and writhing in evident pain.

The remaining two slowly backed away from the murderous Spaniard, fearful for their lives. They opted at last to bolt. They spun around to leave; before doing so, however, one of them picked up the gun from the lifeless hand and fired it at Antonio three more times. All three shots hit his upper torso region. Grunting in shock, he fell to his knees and clutched his chest- Lovino immediately fell down with him, holding his shoulders as the two men made their way out.

"Antonio! Antonio, hang in there, per favore! Can you hear me?!"

Toni shot him a disoriented smile. Tears beaded his eyes, and he tried to blink them away. "Of course I can hear you, silly, you're screaming in my ear."

"You bastard!" Lovi choked through a sob, "Why did you do this?!"

"Why did I do this…?" the Spaniard repeated Lovi's words, though in a much more slurred, relaxed manner. "How could I not do it, mi corazon…? How could I just sit there and watch you...ahh…"

He gripped his chest tighter and bent over the bloody snow. Lovino hugged his shoulders tighter, and cried even harder. He said nothing, because all that his mind could process right now were angry curses. How dare Toni hurt himself for his sake. How dare he…!

Somehow, Toni's head found its way to Lovino's chest. It rested against it softly, and Lovi let it. The ringing in Antonio's ears was preventing him from hearing his loved one's sobs, and his fading vision was blocking his view of Lovi's tears. So the Spaniard chuckled weakly, looking up at that precious Italian face with darkening eyes.

"Don't worry, Lovi...I'm alright...I'm…"

_How can you tell me not to worry at a time like this, you fucking idiot!_ Lovino's wailing grew louder, and he let Antonio's head slide down to his lap so he could unwrap the blanket from his own shoulders and lay it across the wounded man's body. The bitter cold meant nothing to him now- all that mattered was this idiota's safety.

"Please!" he cried into the air, as loud as he could make his voice, "Is anyone out there?! He's dying! He needs to go to a hospital immediately! Please, dio mio, someone!"

The tears rolled off his chin and found their way to Antonio's forehead, causing him to moan quietly under his shaking breaths. Seeing the damn Spaniard losing consciousness like this was unbearable. Hearing his breaths get shallower and shallower by the minute, seeing his eyes darken and shut more and more…

He couldn't stand it. Lovino could not take this anymore. If Antonio died, he felt like he would drop dead as well.

But why? Why did he feel so strongly like this? Why?

…

_Quit trying to fool yourself, cretino. You know exactly why._

He loved Antonio.

He really did.

…

At last, Lovino drew in a sharp breath before grabbing the cloth dolls and unraveling them from the red binding.

They rolled out of the bundle easily and revealed to be connected together by the red string tied tightly on both of their arms. It looked like, no matter where they were in relation to each other, they were always holding hands via that red string.

Lovi quickly grabbed Antonio's hand and squeezed it.

Almost immediately after untying the dolls, a beam of light flashed into the dark alleyway, illuminating the horrific scene.

"Is anyone down here?" An authoritative, yet familiar voice called out from behind the light that Lovino quickly deduced was a flashlight.

"Here! We are here!" Lovino cried, waving his free hand at the torch-wielding figure, who approached quickly.

The figure turned out to be a female police officer, much to Lovi's relief. She ran the scene over with her flashlight.

"Per favore, lady, my friend and I got attacked by four thugs with a gun here, he fended off two of them, but still got shot multiple times, he needs medical attention right away…!"

All of his words ran together like a constant stream of desperation out of his mouth; it was a miracle the officer understood him at all.

She quickly spoke into her handheld radio before nodding to Lovino in affirmation. "Medical help will arrive shortly."

"Grazie mille, poliziottoa," Lovi sobbed, but this time with thankfulness to the heavens. She shined her light on Antonio, who was fully detached from the outside world at this point, resting calmly against Lovino's lap. The blood from his injuries were seeping through the blanket at this point, however.

Still, the cop gave Lovi a reassuring nod once more. "I think we made it in time. He's going to be okay." She looked towards the other cop cars pulling up outside the alleyway as Lovi sighed with even more relief. "We saw some suspicious-looking characters running away from here and realized they were suspects in a murder case of a sixteen year old kid just a while ago, and thought we should handcuff them and investigate the area. That's when we heard your yelling. These are the guys who killed that poor kid. It's good that we caught them."

Lovino watched as his rapid breaths formed white puffs in the air. He only just now noticed that the winds were dying and the snow was at last slowly sprinkling from the sky. He already heard the faint cries of an ambulance siren sounding in the distance. The flashlight allowed his vision to become clearer, and he looked up at the woman. His eyes widened upon seeing her face. _She is…_

"Lady, aren't you...the woman I saw in the park before…?"

She blinked, and looked over to him. Crystal-blue eyes sparkled in the illumination of light from the snow.

"I'm sorry, but have we really met before?" she replied.

With a smile and a wink.

* * *

Antonio was immediately taken to the ER to be treated. When they patched up his wounds and affirmed that he would remain alive under regular hospital care, they transported him to a normal hospital room and let him rest there for the night, instructing Lovino to stay home and rest himself. This time, the cops drove him home. Feli was in tears of pure happiness and relief when he saw his brother's face at the door, but Lovino had nothing but a racing mind and worried heart. _Would he be okay at the hospital? Would he make it through the night? They better fucking keep the heater on in that place…_

He tossed and turned all night with anxiousness. There was no way he could follow the authorities' orders and get a wink of sleep like this.

When the sun rose, he immediately got dressed (properly for the cold, this time) and flew out the door, leaving Feliciano to wonder if he was going to lose his brother for a long period of time yet again.

Lovino biked all the way to the hospital, nearly falling on his face as he leapt off his bicycle and headed up the steps to the entrance. He dashed past the front desk and straight to where he remembered Antonio's room would be. A nurse was just leaving the room.

"Is he alive?!" Lovino immediately sputtered at the startled woman. She blinked at him in confusion for a moment, before she chuckled in realization.

"Yes, he's very much alive. Quite animated, in fact," she chuckled some more. He bit his lip to keep from laughing himself. _Yeah, that sounds like the bastardo…_

"You can visit him now if you'd like. He's been crying for tomato-covered spaghetti all day, and he doesn't think the hospital food is up to par. Maybe you can help him out with that?"

That idiota, Lovino thought, nodding silently and entering the room. He nearly fell to his knees and sobbed to the heavens at the sight of the Spaniard's bright green eyes meeting his. Toni's face instantly lit up upon seeing Lovi's.

"Lovino!"

The Italian approached the hospital bed, where Antonio was bandaged up and connected to various tubes and such. He looked paler and tired as hell, but otherwise completely well. _Un miracolo…_

"Lovi, you look like a bruised tomato."

Lovi scoffed under his breath at the man's observation. He was probably noting the bags under his eyes and the blush on his cheeks.

"You don't look much better yourself, idiota." he grinned at the Spaniard, who replied with a weak chuckle himself. "...Speaking of tomatoes, I heard you were craving spaghetti…"

"Ah! Yes, yes! Por favor!"

"I...could get my brother to make some for you, if you want…" Lovino looked away shyly. He wasn't used to making thoughtful offers to others. But after all they went through...the least he could do was offer spaghetti.

"No thanks, mi cielito."

Lovino's face lit up into a bright red and he looked at Toni with shock. He knew what that meant! What is he…?

"I want you to make it. You make the best spaghetti, with the best tomatoes. Not even your brother can compare."

Lovino blinked at him for a long moment.

_Not even your brother can compare._

In all his life, he never heard a single person utter that phrase at him.

He burst into tears and found his way to Antonio's chest. He was welcomed with open, loving arms.

"I thought you died, you stupid fucking figlio di troia!" he howled into the thin hospital gown covering Toni's chest. He felt a warm hand rub the back of his head gently in response.

"I know, I know." He lifted the crying Italian's tear-stained face to his, and kissed his lips in one smooth motion. Lovino's entire world seemed to stop, and he allowed it to, sinking into Antonio deeper, wishing he could melt into him. Just like that, Antonio released him, and he returned to crying softly against the man's chest as he held him, just like that.

Right there, Lovino promised silently that from now on, he wouldn't run away from Antonio's embrace anymore.

* * *

. . .

"Despair."

Somewhere in a realm beyond that of the mortal world, Hope's voice echoed throughout. A shadowy figure materialized in response.

"Shame on you, trying to mess with a couple like that."

The figure became more vivid now. It was a scowling man, clad head to toe in greyness. Dark grey hair framed a ghostly face holding two dull, granite eyes, looking off to the side in annoyance.

"I'm not letting you get away with such things. You better understand this." Hope went on in her disapproving tone. Despair crossed his arms and spat at the non-existent ground, topping it all off with an irritated 'hmph'.

"No way, I'm not getting screwed with next time," he growled through gritted teeth. "Next time, I won't let the victim be saved."

. . .

* * *

**Aaaand there you have it! A possible lead-in to the next story? o3o I already have TWO outlined, but one of them is really long...it'll probably be, like, a seven-parter. xD (Oh great, I'm talking like Poland now...)**

**I hope you liked the story! ;w; Please please review I love to hear your thoughts and stuffusufsufsuf your ideas and thoughts matter to me uvu**

**Seeya next time! Ciao a presto! Adios, mis amigos~!**


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